Mill Valley, CA…In Defense of Animals (IDA) is in full support of the proposed plan to ban the sale of all products made of fur in San Francisco. The item is was discussed recently at San Francisco's Animal Welfare Commission. Commissioner Chin Chi introduced a proposal to ban the sale of all products made from animal fur within the city of San Francisco.

The proposal follows a national effort to ban the import and sale of cat and dog fur. However, in suggesting a ban on the sale of all fur, the Animal Welfare Commission is recognizing the degree of suffering involved in killing any animal for fur, whether it is on a fur farm or caught in a trap.

"On behalf of everyone working so hard to educate the public about the horrors of the fur trade, I would like to commend San Francisco’s Animal Welfare Commission on their compassion and caring," said Elliot Katz, DVM, president of IDA. "There is no doubt that stores selling fur, like Saks and Neiman Marcus, will still continue to do business and make profits if they were not allowed to sell fur in San Francisco. However, in the city named after the patron saint of animals, we would like them to stop putting profits before compassion."

Laboratory tests need to be done to actually determine if an item is made of dog or cat fur, products cannot be readily distinguished by sight or touch. Items sold in the United States, such as cat figurines and the lining used in parkas, have been made out of dog and cat fur.

"We cannot ignore the fact that other animals suffer and die in the exact same manner as do dogs and cats," said Gerard Livernois, IDA’s Fur Program Coordinator. "We must go beyond singling out items made of dog and cat fur and recognize that every item made out of any animals’ fur is a direct product of immense suffering and then death."

IDA's Fur Kills Campaign